Cher’s Back! Check out “Woman’s World”

It’s been over 10 years since Cher’s last album of all new material, Living Proof, but now the wait is about to end. The Oscar and Grammy winning icon is prepping a new record due early in 2013 with a world tour to follow, but we have our first taste of new Cher music right now. The first single, the dance anthem “Woman’s World”, just hit the web and it’s awesome. Check it out below and head to Cher’s website here for more info on the upcoming album and tour. Also, follow her on Twitter, she’s hysterical!

Cher “Woman’s World”

Do You “Believe” Cher’s Life is going to be a Musical?!

“Do You Believe in Life After Love”? That sentiment sounds like the title of a big ballad from a big Broadway musical doesn’t it? And now it just might be… Those lyrics from Cher’s massive #1 comeback smash from 1999 “Believe” would likely be a highlight in an all new musical about Cher’s life that she is planning. The show would include all of her big hits from “I Got You Babe” to “If I Could Turn Back Time” and “Strong Enough” and has an interesting concept. According to Broadway.com, Cher would play herself in the current day looking back on her life and career while two younger actresses would portray her early years with Sonny Bono, etc and the years of her incredible solo career and acting triumphs. Cher, who has won 3/4 of the EGOT, i.e.: the Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony, could finally get that last piece (Broadway’s Tony Award) with the show. I think it’s a fantastic idea. How about you? For more on the show and Cher, head to Broadway.com here.

And here’s a countdown of my favorite Cher songs. Yes, I’m big on latter-day Cher…
20. “Half Breed” 1973
19. “Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down)” 1966
18. “Gypsies Tramps and Thieves” 1971
17. “All or Nothing” 1999
16. “The Shoop Shoop Song (It’s in His Kiss)”- from Mermaids 1990
15. “Take Me Home”  1979
14. “Save Up All Your Tears” 1991
13. “Love and Understanding” 1991
12. “One by One” 1996
11. “Heart of Stone” 1990
10. “Strong Enough” 1999
9. “We All Sleep Alone” 1988
8. “You Haven’t Seen the Last of Me” (from Burlesque) 2010
7. “A Different Kind of Love Song” 2002
6. “Just Like Jessie James” 1990
5. “A Song for the Lonely” 2002

4. “I Found Someone” 1987

3. “Believe” 1999

2. “If I Could Turn Back Time” 1989

1. “After All” duet with Peter Cetera (from Chances Are) 1989

My Quick Thoughts on the Oscar Nominations

This morning the Academy Award nominations were announced and it was pretty much as we expected with The King’s Speech ruling the roost with 12 nods and garnering more momentum after its Producers Guild Awards win this weekend. (Watch for it to take home the SAG Ensemble and Best Actor award for Colin Firth this weekend too). We also had big nods for The Social Network, The Fighter and Inception. But there were some surprises, snubs and upsets. So, let’s take a quick look at some of my thoughts about this morning’s announcements.

The Good:

~ All the noms for The King’s Speech. It’s my favorite film of the year and I think the one to beat. It has all the momentum now and is a fresher choice for many voters as opposed to The Social Network (which had been on a roll up until last week). I’m currently predicting it will take Picture, Actor (Firth) and Original Screenplay to name a few.

The surprise nomination for Javier Bardem in Best Actor for his brilliant and tortured work in Biutiful… He better thank his good friend and Eat Pray Love costar Julia Roberts for getting him some much needed publicity before voting.

~ The Fighter acting nominations. Melissa Leo, Amy Adams and Christian Bale were on fire in this very entertaining film. Oh, and don’t feel bad for Marky Mark Wahlberg. He got a nomination to as a Producer of the film.

~ Michelle Williams makes it into Best Actress for Blue Valentine. She gave the second best lead female performance of the year (after Annette Bening in The Kids are Alright), so I’m thrilled she defied many prognosticators and is in the race.

~All the love for 127 Hours: for a film that many found hard to watch, it sure did get a lot of nominations and it’s worthy of every one of them!

~John Hawkes and Jackie Weaver: The veteran actor and Australian star both grabbed surprise noms for their fantastic and disturbing work in Winter’s Bone and Animal Kingdom respectively.

~ The noms for The Kids are Alright: I’m thrilled this little indie comedy that could has maintained its deserving place among those honored this year. And Annette (on her fourth try) better beat Ms. Portman. I’m just sayin’!

The Snubs:
Big bad snubs were all around for Mila Kunis (Black Swan), Julianne Moore (The Kids are Alright), Sam Rockwell (Conviction), Andrew Garfield (The Social Network), Robert Duvall (Get Low), Christopher Nolan (director of Inception), Ryan Gosling (Blue Valentine), plus no Tangled in Best Animated Feature, no The Town in Best Picture and no Waiting for Superman in Documentary.

The Bad:

~Jeff Bridges in Best Actor: Um, he gives a copy cat performance of his Crazy Heart character in True Grit. While it’s decent, he certainly didn’t deserve a nod over the brilliant Gosling or Duvall or Paul Giamatti (Barney’s Version) or Leonardo DiCaprio (Inception)

~Where the heck is “You Haven’t Seen the Last of Me” (Burlesque) in Best Original Song? The Golden Globe winning ballad by Diane Warren and sung by Cher should’ve grabbed a nom and a win if you ask me.

The Best Director Race: Um, please throw out Darren Aronofsky (Black Swan) and The Coen Brothers (True Grit) and kindly replace them with Danny Boyle (127 Hours) and the egregiously snubbed (yet again) Christopher Nolan (Inception)

~Speaking of Inception, how the hell did it not get a Best Editing nomination?

~Waiting for Superman: not only was the best and one of the most important documentaries of the year (and any year) snubbed in Best Documentary, it’s universally wonderful theme song “Shine” by John Legend was left out of the Best song race… Instead we got another dumb Randy Newman ditty from Toy Story 3. (that’s nothing against that amazing movie though by the way)

~Original Screenplay: They included the atrociously boring Another Year over Blue Valentine? Just heartbreaking… at least Black Swan didn’t make the cut here.

~Um, did I mention Ryan Gosling was robbed????

Ok, that’s enough kvetching… Despite some of those misguided choices, it’s a pretty great list of nominees and we have some real strong races in the Picture (Social Network v. Kings Speech), Actress (Bening v. Portman), Sup. Actor (Rush v. Bale), Sup Actress (Adams v. Leo) and no front-runner for Original Song (I’m currently betting on “I See the Light” from Tangled)…. Also, it’s interesting to note that Black Swan only grabbed 5 mentions which bodes poorly for the film that had been doing so well so far in the race. Perhaps, it’s not as popular with all the voters as one might think. I’m sure Mila Kunis is wondering about that…

Well, now I’d like to hear from you. What are you most happy about and what nods infuriated you the most. Sound off below and get ready for the Oscars on ABC Sunday 2/27 hosted by the nominated James Franco and a previous nominee Anne Hathaway.

The Good, the Bad and the Really? at today’s Golden Globe Noms

This morning several of the expected contenders names were called at the Golden Globe Nomination announcement. We heard titles like The King’s Speech, The Social Network, Glee, Modern Family, Black Swan, James Franco, Annette Bening and Jane Lynch. However, who could’ve guessed that Jennifer Love Hewitt and The Tourist would grab nods? Those were just two of several surprises, some infuriating, some delightful. So, take a look at my reaction to this morning’s nominations below and for the full list of nods, click here.

The Good

~Congrats to the deserving noms for The Social Network and The King’s Speech, the best two films of the year.
~Yay for The Kids are Alright and its wonderful stars Julianne Moore and Annette Bening’s nominations (and likely the film and Bening’s upcoming wins here).
~How great was it to see Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams’ nominated for their brilliant performances in the little film Blue Valentine? (I think Williams could even be an Oscar spoiler if Natalie Portman and Bening split the vote… but that’s getting ahead of myself)
~Happy to see all the Glee love especially for Chris Colfer and Jane Lynch who both received their first Glob noms this year.
~Thrilled for the Dexter noms for the show, Michael C. Hall and Julia Stiles. I just wish Jennifer Carpenter had been recognized too.
~And what a treat to see Emma Stone land a nod for her incredibly funny and charming performance in Easy A

Best Surprise

~Mila Kunis: the girl from That 70′s Show makes good with a nod for supporting actress for her great work in Black Swan. (thank goodness they didn’t give Barbara Hershey’s disastrous turn a nom too!)

Worst Snubs:

Jim Carrey: He should’ve been nomm’d (and won) for Lead Actor Comedy/Musical for his hilarious and heartfelt work in I Love You Phililp Morris
~Mark Ruffalo: His charming turn in The Kids are Alright was ignored for some unknown reason. At least he should bounce back with a SAG nom on Thursday and the film got 4 noms total.
~Sam Rockwell & Juliette Lewis: apparently the HFPA didn’t see Conviction because if they did, they would’ve noticed the utterly fantastic work done by this dynamic duo.
~Lisa Cholodenko & Debra Granik: Um, does the HFPA have a thing against women directors? I didn’t think so after deservedly awarding Kathryn Bigelow Best Director last year for The Hurt Locker. But both of these ladies were denied noms for their work on Kids and Winter’s Bone respectively.
~Where’s Waiting for Superman in the documentary category and its brilliant theme song by John Legend “Shine”?
~Other unsettling snubs: Diane Weist & Aaron Eckhart (Rabbit Hole), Sally Hawkins (Made in Dagenham), and Leonardo DiCaprio & Marion Cottillard from Inception

The BAD!

~The Tourist noms: um really? 3 noms for this universally maligned thriller? Apparently, the Globes really wanted Angelina Jolie and Johnny Depp to attend…
~ The Alice in Wonderland noms: this movie just sucked. I’m sorry and Johnny Depp, I love ya, but you were an incoherent disaster in this one…
~Halle Berry: Ok, I love you and I appreciate your ambitious attempt in Frankie & Alice, but the film was atrocious and you took a spot from far more deserving contenders like Hawkins, Lesley Manville, Hilary Swank and Tilda Swinton.
~Michael Douglas: Um, can you say pity nomination? His work in Wall Street 2 was fine, but no way in heck should he have grabbed a nod over Rockwell, Ruffalo, and John Hawkes (Winter’s Bone).
~Jennifer Love Hewitt: she got a nom for playing a hooker in the Lifetime TV Movie The Client List… Oh brother!
Piper Perabo: she’s very likable on Covert Affairs, but that is not award worthy material. She gets in over Glenn Close, Connie Britton and Sally Field? What?
Chris Noth: sure, you’re good on The Good Wife, but you’re nowhere as good as Alan Cumming on it. And in this catch-all supporting category, the work of Terry O’Quinn and Michael Emerson from Lost should’ve landed one of the dramatic spots here instead…. And where the heck are the Lost noms for its wonderful final season while I’m at it?
Scott Caan: you got a nod for Hawaii 5-0. Yes, you’re the best thing on the show, but no, you should not be awarded for it…

My Guilty Pleasure Favorite Nominations:
The 3 nominations for Burlesque. Yes, it certainly deserved the song noms (for Christina Aguilera’s “Bound to You”- I told you she’d get a nom, and Cher‘s “You Haven’t Seen the Last of Me”), but the nom for Best Picture Musical/Comedy was certainly a shocker. Still, it kinda makes me really happy.

My Secret Favorite Category?

~BEST ORIGINAL SONG~ Because it’s a diva smack down… You have songs performed by Cher, Aguilera, Carrie Underwood, Mandy Moore and Gwyneth Paltrow all nominated! And both Underwood and Aguilera co-wrote their tracks and are eligible to win… Which lady will prevail? … I’m actually thinking it’s Paltrow’s song from Country Strong or Cher’s record from Burlesque.

Ok, that’s my quick two cents on today’s nominations. I’m sure I could keep babbling on and on, but I need to get my SAG nomination predictions ready. Watch for them tomorrow and enjoy the Golden Globes on NBC on January 16th.

Harry fights off Rapunzel in a Big Box Office Battle

The magical wizard just barely beat out the new Disney princess as Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Pt. 1 held steady on top of the box office for a second week. The sequel grabbed $76 million over the five-day holiday frame for a big two-week take of $220 million. Harry was able to hold off a very strong charge from Disney’s new animated movie musical Tangled which took in a better than expected $69 million and should have a nice long run in the weeks ahead. While there was one new hit film in theatres, three other new films opened to decent, disappointing and bad numbers. Faring best was the movie musical Burlesque with Cher and Christina Aguilera which totalled $17 million forging ahead despite negative reviews. Also fighting negative critical notices was Love and Other Drugs with Jake Gyllenhaal and Anne Hathaway which took in $14 million over 5 days. Bombing out of the gate, was The Rock’s Faster with just 12 million. We’ll see if any of them will have legs in the week’s ahead. (I hope Burlesque holds up as it’s a rollicking good time if not a great movie)… Debuting very strongly in limited release was the brilliant new film The King’s Speech which grabbed $350,000 on just 4 screens and should grab a ton of Oscar nods. Take a look at the new Top Ten below and for all your box office needs head to Box Office Mojo here.

TW LW Title (click to view) Studio Weekend Gross Change Theater Count / Change Average Total Gross Budget* Week #
1 1 Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 WB $76,284,815 -39.0% 4,125 – $18,493 $220,352,000 – 2
2 – Tangled BV $69,000,000 – 3,603 – $19,151 $69,000,000 – 1
3 2 Megamind P/DW $17,551,373 +9.6% 3,411 -368 $5,146 $130,466,000 $130 4
4 – Burlesque SGem $17,150,000 – 3,037 – $5,647 $17,150,000 – 1
5 3 Unstoppable Fox $16,175,074 +24.4% 3,183 -26 $5,082 $60,726,000 $100 3
6 – Love and Other Drugs Fox $14,000,000 – 2,455 – $5,703 $14,000,000 – 1
7 – Faster CBS $12,200,000 – 2,454 – $4,971 $12,200,000 $24 1
8 4 Due Date WB $10,415,109 +16.9% 2,555 -674 $4,076 $85,018,000 $65 4
9 5 The Next Three Days LGF $6,600,164 +0.9% 2,564 – $2,574 $14,551,000 $30 2
10 6 Morning Glory Par. $5,468,032 +5.1% 2,441 -103 $2,240 $26,451,000 $40 3

The New Cher “Burlesque” Dance Mixes are Here!

Gay men everywhere can finally sigh a big breath of relief because, yes, indeed there are new Cher dance mixes coming your way! As expected, Cher‘s big ballad from her new movie musical Burlesque (co-starring fellow Grammy winner Christina Aguilera) has gotten the dance remix treatment via Almighty, Dave Aude and Stonebridge. (I’m a little partial to the Aude remix~ I certainly love what he did for Lady Gaga last year, but the Almighty mix is growing on me too.) I wouldn’t be surprised if more mixes pop up any day now. In the meantime, check out the first three dance mixes for Cher’s big moment in the movie, “You Haven’t Seen the Last of Me”.

“You Haven’t Seen the Last of Me” (Almight Remix)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5BnLW6obbR4&feature=related

“You Haven’t Seen the Last of Me” (Stonebridge remix)

“You Haven’t Seen the Last of Me” (Dave Aude remix)

Christina Aguilera WILL be a Golden Globe Nominee for Burlesque

Mark my words, Grammy winner Christina Aguilera will grab a Golden Globe nomination for her film debut Burlesque. Now, before you think the Globes are getting all Pia Zadora crazy again and you think I’ve had too much sugar this morning, let me clarify… Christina Aguilera will grab a Golden Globe nomination for her SONG “Bound to You” which she wrote for Burlesque. Yes, I’m very confident she’ll land in the Best Original Song category, much like other musical superstars have in the past. Previous nominees in the Best Song Globe category include Madonna (“I’ll Remember” from With Honors, “This Used to Be My Playground” from A League of Their Own, “Who’s that Girl” from Who’s that Girl, “Die Another Day” from Die Another Day, “Beautiful Stranger” from Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me), Beyonce (“Listen” from Dreamgirls, “Once in a Lifetime” from Cadillac Records), Janet Jackson (“Again” from Poetic Justice), and Miley Cyrus (“I Thought I Lost You” from Bolt) while Sting (“Until” from Kate and Leopold), Elton John (“Can You Feel the Love Tonight” from The Lion King), Barbra Streisand (“Evergreen” from A Star is Born), Prince (“The Song of the Heart” from Happy Feet) and Bruce Springsteen (“Streets of Philadelphia” from Philadelphia) have all won in this category. And as a co-writer of the song, Christina should add her name to that list. In fact, another Burlesque song, “You Haven’t Seen the Last of Me”, written by Diane Warren and performed by Cher is likely to grab a nomination as well. They’ll have some competition from songs from Tangled, Country Strong, 127 Hours and more, but the Globes love their divas and will want a big star presence with the addition of Aguilera and Cher.
On the other hand, I highly doubt Aguilera will land an acting nomination for the film in the Best Actress Musical or Comedy category which has drawn mixed critical reaction thus far. While Beyonce was nomm’d for Dreamgirls and Madonna won for Evita, it doesn’t look like Aguilera will be able to squeak into an already overcrowded category that should see noms for Annette Bening and Julianne Moore (The Kids are Alright), Gwyneth Paltrow (Country Strong), Anne Hathaway (Love and Other Drugs), and Reese Witherspoon (How Do you Know?) while Sally Hawkins (Made in Dagenham) and Rachel McAdams (Morning Glory) are also in the race… So, Aguilera will have to be happy with her song in the running. And what a beautiful song it is, and Christina’s performance on it is simply extraordinary. For more proof, check out Xtina singing this gorgeous song she wrote with Australian chanteuse Sia on The Tonight Show last night. And watch for the Burlesque soundtrack in stores on Tuesday the 22nd and the film in theatres on Nov. 24.

Christina Aguilera performs “Bound to You” on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno

You Haven’t Seen the Last of Cher Yet

Oscar and Grammy winning superstar icon Cher is about to be everywhere again as she promotes her brand new movie musical Burlesque co-starring, in her musical debut, Grammy winner Christina Aguilera. She plays the proprietor and former star of a Burlesque dance club in LA that Christina aspires to perform in. The film opens Nov. 24 and the soundtrack featuring 8 new songs from Xtina drops on Nov. 22. The other two new tracks on the record are from Cher herself, “Welcome to Burlesque” and the gorgeous ballad “You Haven’t Seen the Last of Me”, which I’m predicting may be the highlight of the film. Anywho, the latter song just hit the web and it’s written by 6 time Oscar nominee and Grammy winner Diane Warren. Could she be grabbing her 7th nod for this one? I sure hope so and then Cher could sing it on the Oscars! Ooooh, think of the wardrobe possibilities too! … In the meantime, check out the brand new Cher song below…

Cher “You Haven’t Seen the Last of Me” from Burlesque

Diane Warren’s Oscar nominated songs…

1988: “Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us Now” from Mannequin (performed by Starship)
1997: “Because You Loved Me” from Up Close and Personal (performed by Celine Dion)
1998: “How Do I Live” from Con Air (performed by Trisha Yearwood… It was originally performed by LeAnn Rimes, but execs decided to go for a more mature version for the film)
1999: “I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing” from Armageddon (performed by Aerosmith)
2000: “Music of My Heart” from Music of the Heart (performed by Gloria Estefan & NSYNC)
2002: “There You’ll Be” from Pearl Harbor (performed by Faith Hill)

Burlesque Sneak Peak~ Christina’s a “Good Girl”

The highly anticipated movie musical Burlesque starring Oscar winner Cher and in her big screen debut multiple Grammy Award winner Christina Aguilera on November 24th and we keep getting more juicy tidbits about the film. You’ve seen the trailer and Christina’s wonderful take on Sam Cooke’s classic track “Something’s Got a Hold on Me” and now we have another clip, a performance of “But I’m a Good Girl” (first featured on Access Hollywood). I have to say this clip gives me a lot of hope that the film could be a success and stop all those pesky Glitter/Showgirls comparisons. If we focus on this number, the movie is looking more Chicago meets Cabaret and that’s a good thing. Take a look below and let me know your thoughts. And here’s the official track listing for the Burlesque soundtrack which hits stores on Nov. 22nd. Note it features two new songs by Cher including the Oscar ready power ballad “You Haven’t Seen the Last of Me” written by 6 time Oscar nominee and Grammy winner Diane Warren. There are several other songs the studio will be pushing for the Best Original Song Award as well including “Bound to You” written by Australian pop star Sia and Christina herself. For more on the film, click here and for more goodies, head to the Burlesque facebook page here.

Burlesque Official Soundtrack Tracklisting
01 Something’s Got A Hold On Me Christina Aguilera
02 Welcome To Burlesque Cher
03 Tough Lover Christina Aguilera
04 But I Am A Good Girl Christina Aguilera
05 Guy What Takes His Time Christina Aguilera
06 Express Christina Aguilera
07 You Haven’t Seen The Last Of Me Cher
08 Bound To You Christina Aguilera
09 Show Me How You Burlesque Christina Aguilera
10 The Beautiful People (from Burlesque) Christina Aguilera

Christina Aguilera “But I’m a Good Girl” from Burlesque

Lady Gaga Dominates the VMA’s!

Lady Gaga was queen of tonight’s MTV Video Music Awards as her “Bad Romance” clip took Video of the Year honors and 7 other honors while her “Telephone” clip with Beyonce, grabbed one. The show was a big showcase for Gaga’s fabulous fashion, wonderful inclusive messages as she showcased true gratitude and excitement in her speeches. Eminem was the night’s next big winner with two awards for his “Not Afraid” clip which followed his triumphant performance with Rihanna. Other hyped performances came from Taylor Swift, Usher and Kanye West. Check below for my grades of tonight’s entertainers. Shepherding them through the evening was comedian Chelsea Handler who was as hilarious and ballsy and foul-mouthed as ever. Loved her. And how much did I love Cher showing up as “80′s Cher” to present the final award. Brilliant! For more info on the show and the winners, head to MTV here. Take a look at the full list of winners and my take on tonight’s performers below.
The 2010 MTV Video Music Award winners~

Video of the Year: Lady Gaga “Bad Romance”
Pop Video: Lady Gaga “Bad Romance”
Female Video: Lady Gaga “Bad Romance”
Male Video: Eminem “Not Afraid”
Hip Hop Video: Eminem “Not Afraid”
Dance Video: Lady Gaga “Bad Romance”
Rock Video: 30 Seconds to Mars “Kings and Queens”
Best New Artist: Justin Bieber “Baby”
Best Collaboration: Lady Gaga & Beyonce “Telephone”
Best Direction: Francis Lawrence (“Bad Romance”-Lady Gaga)
Best Art Direction: Florence + the Machine “Dog Days are Over”
Best Cinematography: “Empire State of Mind”- Jay Z & Alicia Keyes
Best Choreography: “Bad Romance”- Lady Gaga
Best Editing: “Bad Romance”- Lady Gaga
Best Special Effects: “Uprising”- Muse
Breakthrough Video: “Tighten Up”- The Black Keys

Ranking The Performances~

1. Florence + The Machine “Dog Days are Over“: simply brilliant. This girl who looks like a mix between Mad Men’s Christina Hendricks and Sarah Ferguson with the voice of Sinead O’Connor can sang! It was simple, glorious and had lovely choreography to compliment the fantastic vocals. Grade: A
2. Bruno Mars/B.o.B./Hayley Williams/Paramore “Nothin’ On You”/”Airplanes”/”The Only Exception”: Now that was a fantastic medley with three great emerging artists. Hayley and Bruno sang flawlessly and B.o.B. showed why he’s been so successful this year. Great. Grade: A
3. Eminem & Rihanna “Not Afraid/Love the Way You Lie”: At first I was worried he was lip synching, but as the song continued he proved he wasn’t with a great performance that was highlighted by Rihanna’s emotional contribution to their recent # 1 smash. (but what was up with the Carrot Top hair and Madonna “Like a Virgin” dress circa the 85 VMA’s?)… Grade: A-
4. Usher “DJ Got us Falling in Love/OMG”- ever the showman, Usher gave us the smooth groove and strong vocals he’s known for. Plus there was a great light show and cool choreography. (Points are deducted though because that “OMG” song is awful.) Grade: B+
5. Drake/Mary J. Blige/Swizz Beats “Fancy”: Drake channeled Sinatra and Mary and Swizz complimented him nicely but the song was just ok. Grade: B-
6. Linkin Park “The Catalyst”: Cool lights, Griffith Park, great energy and performance. Mediocre song. Grade: B-
7. Taylor Swift: “You’re Still an Innocent”: on this good song that was a thinly veiled response to last year’s Kanye-gate, Swift gave a dramatic performance and looked lovely. However, she still can’t sing live and was incredibly flat througout the number. Grade: C+
8. Justin Bieber “Baby/Somebody to Love”: Um, he lip synched. Argh. I’ll give him points for the drum solo though. Grade: D+
9. Kanye West “Runaway”: sorry, all is not forgiven. This ego fueled wanna be “apology” record was a boring arrogant epic fail. Grade: D

Also there were some brief performances in between commercials by Jason Derulo, NERD w/Ciara, Travis McCoy, and my favorite Swedish dance sensation on the comeback trail Robyn who did “Dancing on My Own”. All in all, it was a pretty good show at the Nokia Theatre tonight. Chelsea was a great host and we even got a little crazy Lohan to go along with the Jersey Shore shenanigans. Not much drama, but some good videos actually won for once. All hail the haus of Gaga!